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Prominent ND MP says half a million attended 'Macedonia' rally

In comments to Skai television on Monday, the vice president of conservative New Democracy, claimed that half a million people joined a demonstration in Thessaloniki on Sunday protesting talks over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Police estimated participation at 90,000.

"The rally had 500,000 people," he said. "Tsipras is in trouble," he added, referring to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

"Tsipras started the story with the Macedonia [name talks] to create problems with ND but now Kammenos will not give in," he said, referring to Tsipras's coalition partner Panos Kammenos who has taken a different stance than Tsipras to a potential solution to the name dispute.

"I don't know what kind of promises he has made to those on the outside but I am sure that he'll try and get out of the Macedonia issue even though he's gotten his MPs to back his solution," Georgiadis said.

On Sunday, in a piece for Kathimerini, Georgiadis described the Thessaloniki rally as "the voice of the people, the anger of God.